36. Treat From Diego

"I'm sorry that I couldn't contain my emotions earlier." When the tension between Diego and Stellina had completely subsided, Diego lowered his ego to ease Stellina's irritation. From the sofa, Stellina looked up at Diego who was walking towards her. Diego's eyes showed regret, and Stellina instantly felt unable to stay angry with Diego for long. Stellina took a deep breath, then let it out. "Yes, I understand your reasoning, Diego. If Fabian and I hadn't been helped by Ranzo, we would have been captured by the Nuvoletti Clan." "Not just captured, Stellina. You could have been killed on the spot." Diego emphasized his words with firmness. He was already sitting next to Stellina. "But, you really don't have a single wound on your body, do you?" Diego asked once again. Now he raised one of Stellina's hands, intending to take a closer and more detailed look, but his hand was jerked away. Stellina was startled by Diego's sudden touch. Diego was momentarily dumbfounded, only to realize that Stellina didn't like being touched. As a result, Diego felt guilty after accidentally touching Stellina. Slowly, his hands were raised low, at chest level. A faint smile that hinted at guilt curved up. "Stellina, I apologize. I didn't mean to just now." Diego immediately calmed Stellina down before getting a torrent of annoyance. Stellina, with her hand avoiding Diego's touch, ended up exhaling softly. The direction of her gaze shifted to the bed where Fabian was. "At the time of the incident, I didn't think about anything other than that Fabian had to be saved. I understand the world of the mafia that you live in," Stellina replied as she imagined the flashbacks of the events she had experienced earlier. Diego, on the other hand, did not respond to Stellina's words. The more he looked, the more he realized the sincerity in Stellina's eyes. Diego felt touched, a little, and guilty. "You shouldn't have to go through that," Diego replied. "But, even if you had a reason for doing it, you're still at fault. It could have been avoided if you hadn't come to that area." "I didn't know it was the territory of your enemy clan," Stellina replied. "Now you are in the Pavnozzi family and the mafia world, Stellina. I have a lot of enemies, after this you'll have to do a lot more research before coming to a place." Stellina glanced at Diego, secretly smiling a little. Despite the stern and unfeeling look on Diego's face at that moment, she realized the attention he was giving her. Stellina simply nodded while clearing her throat in agreement. Hurriedly, the direction of her gaze shifted again to any direction. "How long was Fabian in that state?" asked Stellina. Diego let out an exasperated sigh. "I haven't had a chance to ask the doctor before coming to this room either." After which he clapped his hands once, and smiled awkwardly. "Never mind, don't be so sad. Would you like some coffee?" Stellina frowned. "Coffee?" "To put your mind at ease," Diego replied. "You must be in shock after experiencing the Nuvoletti Clan attack." Stellina's lips curled slightly after hearing Diego's words. Without hesitation, Stellina nodded in agreement. Diego was right after all. Stellina could not prevent herself from feeling anxious. "Yes, just buy me some coffee. I think it'll be calming," Stellina replied while giving a confident expression. After getting a confident answer from Stellina, Diego stood up from the sofa. Diego briefly stroked Stellina's head, intending to calm her down, and then walked away. Diego had already left Fabian's hospitalization room. Leaving Stellina who immediately let out a long breath as she leaned her back against the back of the sofa. At that moment, Stellina really felt her mind raging. The image of the accident a few hours ago was still ringing in her brain. Her heartbeat gradually accelerated as the image of Diego's car's violent collision caused her car to overturn. It had rolled several meters away from the crash site. Stellina closed her eyes. Instantly she felt the tense atmosphere of the past few hours suddenly hit her. Her brain replayed the entire incident from the moment the foreign car arrived, hitting the back of Diego's car repeatedly, until Stellina and Fabian gave up. When the car they were traveling in was surrounded from the front and back. Stellina thought the crash was the end of her life. Because she remembered that Vellina was also in a collision before she died. But it turned out that luck was still on her side. "Oh my..." Stellina rubbed her face roughly. "Fabian was harmed for protecting me...." Then, the image of Stellina and Fabian fleeing to the warehouse came to mind. Stellina kept vividly in her memory the moment the loud gunshots rang out. It was followed by the groan of Fabian who was in pain because his hand was hit by a bullet. Blood. Panic. The cries of the Pavnozzi Clan members. Ranzo's arrival followed by the shots of the Pavnozzi Clan. It was all in Stellina's brain. The uneasy feeling was so real that her chest was now tight. Stellina went into shock once again after having managed to calm down. "Everything... why did it get messed up..." Within seconds, Stellina felt her head spin. There was a strong pressure that made her unable to grimace in pain. Along with that, the surrounding scenery gradually became blurry. Stellina could not endure the dizzying pain in her head anymore. Until finally, Stellina's body collapsed and relaxed. She was unconscious without anyone seeing her. Not long after, Diego came and opened the door to the hospital room. Diego had not noticed anything when he closed the door. In his hand were two coffees for himself and Stellina. "Stellina, I've-" Diego's words were cut short by the sight of Stellina's limp body on the floor. Diego was startled for a moment, then frantically ran over to put down his two coffees. Diego immediately crouched down next to Stellina to get a closer look at how she was doing. "Stellina?" Diego patted Stellina's cheeks in turn. There was no reaction. Diego hissed, his panic rising in an instant. Why did Stellina suddenly faint?! ----- "How is Vellina, Doctor?" Diego immediately asked a question to the doctor who had finished the examination. The doctor in front of Diego gave a faint, reassuring smile. "There's nothing to worry about as no adverse conditions were found. She is simply exhausted, Mr. Diego. Mrs. Vellina is under severe stress." The doctor explained. Diego's breath came out immediately after the doctor's explanation was given to him. Diego's body relaxed slightly and he spontaneously grabbed the bed divider on his left side. "It's a relief that there's no indication of her condition," Diego replied with a sigh of relief. He was almost overwhelmed by the possibility of Stellina's condition getting worse. "In that case, I'd like to excuse myself, Mr. Diego." Diego gave a small nod of approval. The doctor then walked away from Stellina's hospital room. After the doctor stepped away, Diego stepped closer to Stellina's side. His eyes watched Stellina with a look of compassion. I don't know how he felt suddenly touched by the condition of Stellina who was lying sluggishly. Diego remembered that Stellina had always experienced many things since she entered the mafia. Previously, Stellina was just an ordinary girl. She never did anything out of the ordinary or got involved in mafia affairs. But after being with Diego, Stellina had to deal with matters that didn't concern her. There was a twinge of regret in Diego's heart. Even though Stellina was with him as collateral for Enrico's treatment, Diego still had a responsibility to take good care of her. Stellina wouldn't have been dragged into this if he had been more careful. "Oh my..." Diego straightened his stance and took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh. "You should be careful with yourself, Stellina. Now you're making me worry." Stellina did not reply, of course. She still hadn't come to her senses. In the end, Diego could not disturb Stellina's rest. As long as he kept an eye on Stellina, who had not yet woken up, Diego did some activities. It got to the point where Diego felt dull because hours had passed. Diego yawned in between watching television, then decided to turn off the show. Diego got up from the sofa and walked over to Stellina's bed. Stellina was still fast asleep in her bed. Noticing the woman's state, Diego immediately curved a faint smile. "If I leave you sleeping, it'll be okay, right?" Diego asked when he was seated next to Stellina's bed. His voice was low and soft. There was no answer from Stellina. Finally, Diego yawned once more. His body had been very weak all day without rest. Diego's eyes began to flicker weakly as he felt the drowsiness getting stronger and stronger. Unable to resist, Diego stretched his arms forward to stretch his muscles. Diego placed the right side of his face on top of his hands, which were stacked on top of each other, and closed his eyes. As time passed, the clock struck half past eight in the evening. While Diego was still fast asleep, Stellina's eyes slowly opened. The sound of her moaning could be heard softly as Stellina began to regain consciousness. After Stellina's eyes flickered to adapt to the lighting in the room, she realized something strange and surprising. Next to her was Diego, who had fallen asleep with a serene face. Stellina gasped in surprise. It took a moment for Stellina to confirm her vision, was the person sleeping beside her Diego? "Why is Diego here?" asked Stellina, muttering. She wondered what had happened to him. Stellina looked around for a moment. Damn. Why didn't she realize anything? Wasn't her condition fine before? Then, about Diego... if he was asleep here, did that mean he was guarding her from before? How long had Stellina been unconscious? After Stellina was able to digest the situation better, she looked at Diego's figure. Imagining that Diego had fallen asleep here to look after her, Stellina couldn't help but smile warmly. She had no idea that Diego actually had such a warm and caring heart. "Why did you bother to keep me asleep?" Stellina chuckled, very quietly. To Stellina's surprise, Diego had begun to regain consciousness. His eyes opened faintly and his ears heard Stellina's voice. As he was jolted from his dream, Diego opened his eyes in surprise and spontaneously straightened his sitting position. "Don't attack them!" Diego suddenly exclaimed. There was silence. Stellina was surprised to hear Diego's sudden shout. The room was silent, both of them stunned. "Why are you yelling?" asked Stellina after a split second of trying to neutralize her shock. Diego realized he was delirious. Diego immediately lowered his raised hand. He felt so awkward that he rubbed the back of his neck briefly. "I'm sorry, I was in a dream," Diego said. "You're awake." Stellina couldn't help but laugh briefly. "What did you dream?" "That's it, let's not talk about it." Diego was actually embarrassed. He was acting ridiculous. But he quickly got up from the chair. "Thank goodness you're awake. I've been taking care of you." Hearing that, Stellina-who was still arching a brief smile, nodded her head. "Yes, I know." Diego was still clumsy. Even his eyes repeatedly failed to look at Stellina. The atmosphere between them instantly became uncharacteristic. "I'll call the doctor to check on you again." Diego pointed at the door of the room with his thumb, his movements clumsy. Stellina nodded again. For some reason, seeing Diego act so shyly made her feel tingly. Stellina's cheeks suddenly heated up, and in that instant she averted her eyes. She deliberately did not want Diego to see her blush. "Wait here." Stellina couldn't answer. My God, why were her cheeks getting so warm!